B = Builders GR = Grassroots P = Policy F = Financial
G = Green C = Culture E = Establishment R = Rising Star
Tom Manley
A former professor turned the Pacific Northwest College of Art into a creative-class crown jewel.
B C R
Signature move: In Manley’s decade as president, PNCA has doubled its student body and started five graduate programs, the school’s first. And its physical expansion has been stunning: since 2008, the formerly propertyless college snapped up buildings it rented on Northwest Johnson Street, the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and, most recently, the historic building at 511 NW Broadway.
What’s next: With a 511 rehab slated for 2014, Manley hopes not only to create a dynamic hub of studios, libraries, labs, and commons, but to define a new “creative corridor,” bridging the Pearl District with Old Town. (RR)
Carrie Welch and Mike Thelin
Portland’s celebrated food scene gets an international festival.
B F C R
Signature move: Recent Portland transplant Welch rose from intern to PR at the Food Network and helped create the New York Wine and Food Festival. The endlessly connected Thelin (a former contributing editor to Portland Monthly) turned the 2010 International Association of Culinary Professionals convention into a Portland love fest, then went on to reenergize Austin’s moribund Texas Hills Food and Wine Festival and run Eater’s youthfully prestigious national awards.
What’s next: Next September, the duo will launch Feast Portland: Food and Drink Festival, with renowned chefs like Aaron Sanchez (of the TV show Chops) and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (of noted LA restaurant Animal), plenty of press, and big sponsorship alliances. “In our first conversation,” says Thelin, “we both said it’s time for Portland to have this.” (RG)
Mark Knutson and Rick McKinley
Two pastors reinvent Christianity for postreligious Portland.
GR R
Signature move: From strikingly different Christian traditions, these two make faith thrive in a church-shy city. At mainline Augustana Lutheran, the 59-year-old Knutson reversed national shrinkage of traditional denominations; his congregation multiplied from 200 to 800, in part due to jazz and Native American–flavored services and vigorous activism on war, immigration, and gay rights. Imago Dei, founded by McKinley in 2000, shattered evangelicalism’s megachurch image by steeping itself in Portland culture (it runs a Pearl District gallery and promotes indie musicians) and giving cash to the city to fight human trafficking. “We started by asking what a church for the city would look like,” the 42-year-old McKinley says. “The city’s responded.”
What’s next: Knutson expects new initiatives on sustainability and economic inequality. McKinley’s congregants are launching entrepreneurial social missions. (ZD)
David Chen
An investor looks to fund the future of green enterprise.
F G
Signature move: Four years ago, after becoming arguably the city’s most prominent tech venture capitalist, David Chen decided “that the key to a sustainable future wasn’t going to be a better widget.” He founded Equilibrium Capital, a group that essentially invests in investors: Chen and partners scout promising, sustainability-focused asset managers and bankroll them. “Most of our entrepreneurs have been investing in relative obscurity,” Chen says. “We think their time is now.”
What’s next: Equilibrium’s portfolio includes construction, agriculture, energy, and water. “A farmer friend recently said, ‘In the ’90s I thought I should sell and go into dot-coms,’” Chen says. “‘Now, everyone wants to talk about farming.’” (ZD)
Published: January 2012
I’m sorry but Zenger farm only serves RICH porlanders who want to send thier kids to a trendy foodie summer camp. It’s really sad that so many people in the Portland area who really care about people with limited resources never get reconigition or credit for what they do. People like Ms. Khueler only get reconized because they look good. Ms. Khueler had very little explerience before working at Zenger, yet somehow go promted to executive director right away. Just because someone looks good doesn’t mean they are the " star of the ag Movement" …PLEASE that comment makes me want ot BARF…
Anytime you come up with a list like this, you’ll always get people complaining about who has been leftt off. That being said, how about some of these Portlanders:
Simon Tam – He’s the founder of the Asian band, The Slants, who graced the front page of the Oregonian and Portland Tribune this past year for taking on the United States Trademark Office over the right to use their name, for rejecting a million dollar contract from Bodog Ent., and for helping raise over $700,000 for charitable causes over the last few years.
Joseph Santos-Lyons – The coordinator for APANO (Asian Pacific Americans Network of Oregon) and Co-Director of OPAL (Environmental Justice for Oregon) who been rallying together comunities of color for stronger representation both in the city as well as the state.
Stephen Ying – You’ve listed his wife, Helen, but Stephen also is probably the most influential Chinese American in the city. He makes city officials tremble when he enters City Hall and has been uniting businesses in the Hold Town Chinatown district for decades.
Another Portland Monthly “best of” bites the dust. This list that has very to do with the reality of Portland. This list smacks of favoritism and it does (as another person noted) have a very clicquey, inner circle feeling too it. Bo Kwon? Really? I’m sorry but his time is over. What about real Portland Chefs like Vitaly Paley or Andy Ricker, people who are making true strides in Gastronomy and putting Portland food on the map. Not just imitating other Korean Taco trucks, al a Roy Choi, whom I worked years ago before his wild and well deserved ascent…the dude is truly a food genius. What about Camas Davis and the Portland Meat Collective? No real political movers on the list. People might not like him, but how can you deny that Sam Adams is a pretty dang influential person in Portland? And though I disliked the whole thing, I would have thought that the top echelon of Occupy Portland have been pretty damn influential this year. Like many other “TOP 50” or whatever lists I’ve read from Portland Monthly, it’s just another example of the elitist, out of touch nonsense that comes from Portland Monthly. Clearly they don’t have any boots on the ground of real Portland.
My opinion is that Bo K. has influenced a bunch of new cart owners and entrepreneurs to go into business! If you look back at their history you will see that Bo is friends with Roy Choi (KOGI) in LA and brought the Cart buzz to us in town! Thank goodness.. So yummy!
Great Job to Andy Batt for pictures! John Jay and Mark Knutsen are amazing humans as well! Go Portland!
Other influential green names left off:
Sallinger, Riskedahl, Baldwin, Jenks, Bell, DEQ Director Dick Pedersen, plus one enviro defense lawyer that probably should have made the list this year: Morford
Bo Kwon is not a mogul by any means. First of all, he stole the whole “Korean BBQ Taco” movement from Chef Roy down in LA, who had been doing this long before Bo came along. As a friend of a former employee, I’m truly disappointed to see Bo on here. He never used to pay out credit card tips, was too high to function 80% of the time, and left me with a really bad taste in my mouth. I used to think he was a really good guy, until I realized how wrong most of the stuff he was doing turned out to be. Weed and money came first and second to his employees, and that’s not how any good business owner should function. He shouldn’t get to decide if his employees “deserve” the tips they earn. Look up his tax records, then tell me if he’s been good for this community.
I’m astounded that any list of “Portland power players of the past” would exclude Neil Goldschmidt.
honored to know two of them….to Don and David…thank you for your work to make Portland a better place….
Perhaps a few more women next time?
I hate to say it, but this list has a very “clubby” feel to it. There are so many other influential people in this City – wow!
Thank you for the recognition to Nichole Maher and Mark Knutsen. Two great Portlander who are making a difference from the ground up.
Great article
Beautiful photography thanks to Andy Batt! He should be on the list!
Bo Kwon, marketing wiz???
Tasty food, sure. But the WHOLE concept – Korean tacos, roving truck, twitter updates and surprise locations – was stolen from Los Angeles’ Kogi BBQ Taco Truck, which had been doing the exact same thing 2 years before Koi…